The SS Republic was a sidewheel steamer lost in deep water in 1865 after battling a hurricane for two days. The ship, en-route from New York to New Orleans, was reportedly carrying $400,000 in specie (1865 face value) when it sank. The ship's fascinating history includes service in both the Confederate and Union navies during the Civil War.

Odyssey Marine Exploration discovered the shipwreck in the summer of 2003 nearly 1700 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean approximately 100 miles off the Georgia coast. Odyssey has been awarded title and ownership to the SS Republic shipwreck and cargo, including the hull, artifacts and the specie that was on board when she sank.

STATUS:

February 2005

Odyssey Marine Exploration concluded operations on the SS Republic and other shipwreck sites in the Atlantic. The Company's 251' deep-ocean archaeological platform, the Odyssey Explorer, then moved to the western Mediterranean to conduct new operations.

January 2005

Odyssey began pre-disturbance on the SS Republic shipwreck site in the fall of 2003. Since then, the Odyssey team aboard the ODYSSEY EXPLORER has:

• Recorded over 13,000 underwater digital still photographs while surveying and excavating the shipwreck site.
• Recorded over about 3500 hours of high resolution video on DVDs and tape while surveying and excavating the SS Republic site.
• Integrated a High Definition Video Camera into the ZEUS/Odyssey Explorer system, which has produced beautiful HD video of the shipwreck site.
• Completed 262 dives with the Remotely Operated Vehicle ZEUS to explore and excavate the SS Republic shipwreck site and recover gold coins, silver coins and artifacts. The actual bottom time was about 3500 hours. The longest dive made by ZEUS lasted 72.5 straight hours.
• Created a database with over 60,000 records as the team recorded excavation and survey activities on the shipwreck site. In addition, the entire survey and excavation was recorded on video.
• Recovered approximately 14,000 artifacts (including almost 6,300 bottles) from the site. All artifacts were given first aid conservation aboard Odyssey Explorer before being transferred to our conservation facility for documentation and conservation.
• More than 51,000 coins were recovered from SS Republic operations, including $20.00 Double Eagles, $10.00 Eagles, Half Dollars and a few Quarter Dollars. Unlike other recently salvaged shipwrecks, a wide variety of dates and mints were noted in the Republic find. The collection includes many of the finest-known examples of U.S. gold and silver coins from the period. According to John Albanese, Numismatic Marketing Strategist for Odyssey, the retail value of coins recovered to date is expected to exceed $75 million dollars. Coins from the SS Republic have been professionally conserved by Numismatic Conservation Services, a leading authority in numismatic conservation, and graded and encapsulated by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. A population report of gold coins recovered is available here.
• The coins recovered from the Republic represented approximately 25 percent of the total face value (worth $400,000 in 1865) Odyssey research indicated was on board when the ship sank in 1865. When additional coins were not found within the main hull, Odyssey searched the surrounding debris field. Additional coins were not located in the debris-field search. The Company plans to return to the SS Republic site in the future with more advanced sensing technology. Odyssey concluded, however, that it was time to move the Odyssey Explorer to the western Mediterranean to begin working on new projects.
• Been the subject of hundreds of media articles and stories including a feature on Dateline NBC, two television specials, and a National Geographic feature article

At the end of the highly successful SS Republic excavation, Odyssey co-founder Greg Stemm commented, "Our offshore team has been doing things that have never been done before and we are setting high standards for deep ocean archaeology. The Explorer's work on the SS Republic site was a fantastic testing ground to prepare our equipment and our team for future high-profile projects. Based upon the experience we gained through the Republic recovery, we believe that we could now perform an archaeological recovery on a similar vessel in substantially less time."

PHOTOMOSAIC OF THE SITE:

As part of the pre-disturbance survey, the Odyssey team created a detailed photomosaic. Small areas of the shipwreck site were photographed and then the individual images were 'stitched' together to create the photomosaic. This can be used in later study and documentation of the SS Republic. For a comprehensive view of the SS Republic photomosaic please click on the following link: "SS Republic Photomosaic", courtesy of National Geographic Magazine.

COINS AND ARTIFACTS:

Shortly after commencement of archaeological excavation of the site, a substantial number of gold coins were revealed using Odyssey's Sediment Removal and Filtration (SeRF) system. To date more than 51,000 coins have been recovered including $20.00 Double Eagles, $10.00 Eagles, Half Dollars and Quarter Dollars. According to John Albanese, Numismatic Marketing Strategist for Odyssey, the retail value of coins recovered to date is expected to exceed $75 million dollars. * The face value of recovered coins represents approximately 25% of the "$400,000 in specie" (face value in 1865) that historical research indicates was on board the Republic when she sank.

Among the coins already retrieved are numerous gold eagles, gold double eagles, silver half dollars and even a few quarters, nearly all dating between the 1840's and 1865. Unlike other recently salvaged shipwrecks, a wide variety of dates and mints have been noted in this find. Based on the pieces recovered thus far that have been professionally conserved by Numismatic Conservation Services (NCS) and graded and encapsulated by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), this collection already includes many finest-known examples of United States gold and silver coins from the period. See featured coins from the SS Republic.

To date approximately 14,000 artifacts have been recovered from the SS Republic. Literally bringing the past to life, the discoveries have become part of Odyssey's SS Republic Collection. Many artifacts and rare items of cargo will be kept in Odyssey's permanent collection for display and study. Some of the cargo items and trade goods (bottles and other cargo) will be released for sale through www.ssrepublic.com .

These historical shipwreck artifacts include more than 200 different bottle varieties, religious artifacts, ceramics, pottery and some personal effects.

Gold and silver coins , bottles and coal from the shipwreck are currently available. Additional items from the shipwreck, as well as replica items, will be available soon.

*Note: The ultimate value of the cargo to the company could be either more or less than the numismatic value, and will depend on the method in which it is marketed.

MEDIA COVERAGE:

People around the world are fascinated with the story of the SS Republic. The shipwreck has been the subject of hundreds of stories in newspapers, magazines, on television, radio and the internet including features on the CBS Early Show, Good Morning America, NBC Today Show, ABC World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC, CBC News, Entertainment Tonight, The Daily Show, Imus in the Morning, NPR, AOL launch page, MSNBC, CNN, The New York Times, Newsday, New York Post, Chicago Sun Times, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Toronto Sun, UK Guardian, UK Independent, Times of Oman, AP wire, and Reuters.

National Geographic Television and Film (NGT&F) documented the recovery and the entire expedition. Dateline NBC featured the Republic story and National Geographic Ultimate Explorer aired "Lost Gold of the Republic" in late April 2004. The shipwreck was the subject of a feature article in the September issue of National Geographic Magazine. An additional National Geographic Special, "Civil War Gold" premiered November 17, 2004 on PBS.

THE SEARCH:

During the last 12 years, over 1,500 total square miles have been devoted to the search for this elusive target, with Odyssey searching over 1,000 square miles during the past two years alone. A total of 24 targets were inspected with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), during 2002 and 2003 after an exhaustive search operation using advanced Edgetech Chirp side-scan sonar and integrated Seaspy Overhauser magnetometer technology.

The search area was determined with the help of computer models that combined information from newspapers and survivors reports, ships' logs and other information about currents and the storm. This laid out potential locations for the ship's sinking, reflecting different combinations of surface current speed, effect of winds upon the ship's movement after the engine failed, and effects of wind and current upon the movement of the ship's boats and raft after they cast off.

In July 2003, side scan sonar revealed a promising target. In August 2003, an initial video inspection was conducted which revealed a sidewheel partially buried by sediment, the ship's rudder sheathed in copper, and a large field of artifacts and bottles, including preserved bottles of fruit or other food with corks still intact. Measurements were taken from the high resolution side scan surveys of the site. The dimensions matched the known length and sidewheel size listed in historical records.

After mobilizing the proper equipment and personnel for the archaeological excavation of the site, pre-disturbance survey work began in October 2003. The ship's bell was located and recovered to positively identify the shipwreck as that of the SS Republic. View Pictures and Video Clips of the search for and the archaeological excavation of the SS Republic.

Several interesting wrecks were discovered during the search for the Republic and Odyssey has filed arrests on several shipwreck sites, including the "Blue China Wreck" and the SS Republic.

Historical Background - SS Republic

Launched:	August 13, 1853 in Baltimore as the Tennessee
1853:	In commercial service - passengers and cargo
1855:	First transatlantic passage by a steamer from Baltimore
1856:	Inaugurated steamer service between U.S and South America
1856-57:	Sailed the Nicaragua route with adventurers - Gold Rush "Californios" and soldiers of fortune following William Walker
1857:	In commercial service - passengers and cargo New York to New Orleans
1861:	April 21 - Captured by Confederate troops in New Orleans - pressed into service.
1862:	April 28 - Captured by Union forces in New Orleans - pressed into service.
1862-64:	Participated in Civil War naval Mississippi Campaign, Gulf Coast Blockade, Battle of Mobile Bay; often flagship of Adm. David Farragut
1864	Name changed to USS Mobile
1865	Bought at auction by Russell Sturgis and investment group - ship was repaired and refit, then renamed the SS Republic - returned to a New York - New Orleans run in May.

The Last Voyage of SS Republic:

October 18, 1865:	The SS Republic leaves New York - bound for New Orleans with a reported "$400,000 in gold specie. "
October 23 1865:	Off the Georgia coast, a storm blows in, becoming a "perfect hurricane" by evening.
October 24, 1865:	The paddlewheels stall and can't carry the engine past dead center. The SS Republic is left powerless - drifting and at the mercy of the elements. Steam is raised on the donkey boiler to start the pumps.
October 25, 1865:	At 9am, the "donkey boiler" fails and water pours into the hold. The crew begins work on a makeshift raft and preparing the lifeboats. At 1:30 pm the lifeboats and raft begin launching. At 4:00pm, when all but 21 people were in the boats, the SS Republic sank suddenly. Except for a man who drowned while trying to swim through the ship's floating debris, the people who jumped from the ship were able to swim to lifeboats or the raft.
October 26, 1865:	Lifeboat #1, under the command of the Republic's captain, is rescued by the brig John W. Lovitt
October 27, 1865:	Lifeboat #2 is rescued in the afternoon by the schooner Willie Dill. Lifeboat #3 is spotted and rescued late on the 27th by the barkentine Horace Beals.
October 29, 1865:	Lifeboat #4 rescued after four nights at sea by the schooner Harper
November 2, 1865:	The raft, which departed with 18 people aboard, is spotted off Cape Hatteras by the U.S. Navy steamship, USS Tioga. Only two people remained on the raft to be rescued.

Additional historic background on the SS Republic is available here.

An account of the sinking by shipwreck survivor Col. William Nichols is available here.

OTHER SHIPWRECK SITES:

Several other shipwrecks were discovered by Odyssey during the SS Republic search. You can view pictures and videos of these sites.